Letter to Mrs Cahir from Jim Cahir
Title
Letter to Mrs Cahir from Jim Cahir
Description
Letter from Flight Sergeant Jim Cahir to his mother and brothers. He writes about the mail he has received from friends and family and how long it took to arrive, that he received various newspapers, about the weather, his social activities, describing what his crew are doing and attending Mass on camp.
Creator
Date
1943-11-28
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
Four handwritten sheets
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
ECahirFSCahirM-P-V431128-0001, ECahirFSCahirM-P-V431128-0002, ECahirFSCahirM-P-V431128-0003, ECahirFSCahirM-P-V431128-0004
Transcription
F/sgT CAHIR. FS.
AUS419441
Kodak House
Kingsway
London.
NOV 28th. 43
Letter No 20.
Dear Mum Paddy & Vincent
Over the pass [sic] couple of days mail has just been rolling in, I think I have received [deleted] [indecipherable word] [/deleted] at least a dozen letters, three being from you. Your letters are dated Aug 24th, Sept 27th & Oct 5th they are numbered 14 – 18 – 19. I am yet to receive 13 – 15 – 16 – 17 no doubt they will turn up sometime.
My other mail [deleted] is [/deleted] [inserted] was [/inserted] from Mary, Irene, Leo McGrath, John Donnigan, Dorothy Lambert, Paddy, a Miss Henry at Haughton’s (she’s about 40 so don’t get frightened), two girls from Robertson & Mullens, one from a young lady I met in New Plymouth N.Z, two from Mullumbimby and a very interesting Bullitin [sic] from Kathlyn. The Airmail from Mullum took 17 days to arrive, it cost 2/1 & came via [indecipherable word], so if you want to tell me something urgently the 2/1 Airmail is the thing, the 4d Airmail is useless. How is Airmail from here arriving home? let me know how long it takes.
Sorry to read in one of your letters that Mary Jones’ leg may be a bit shorter than the other, still as you say there may not be anything wrong at all, and if there is it can proably [sic] be soon rectified
You did not enclose Jim Brophy’s address, still I
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]
don't need it to write to him over here, as you already know no doubt he has spent a couple of days with Uncle Shamus at Bath just before I arrived
So you got the letters I posted in New York, there were all kinds of rumors [sic] going around about the posting of mail and the general belief was the censorship was so hard that letters would be lucky to get home. I don’t think you mention anything about receiving a letter I posted in Colon about Aug 1st it was only a one page letter, did you receive it? Sorry about the cushion covers I had completely forgotten them until you mentioned them in your letters I think they are in the bottom of my bag somewhere, I must have a look & send them on to you. (sometime)
Regarding E.A McDonald the cricketer, I am sure he was killed in a motor accident just before the War began, anyhow I will check up with the Boys when they come in. Up till date one parcel has arrived I sent you an airgrath [sic] about it so I won’t go into details over it in this letter. The Y.C.W. paper arrived safely also Clarion, they make very interesting reading, fancy being approached for an article for the Y.C.W. paper! why it might mean the start of a journalistic career (I don’t think) I will be glad to write a short (I repeat [underlined] short [/underlined]) note for the paper in the near future, at the moment I can’t even cope with mail. I feel rotten when I receive letter after letter from Mary & a couple of others and know that I haven’t written half the number to them that I should have, still I suppose you can’t do the impossible at the moment it’s a matter of scribbling off as many answers to letters as you can and hoping next mail is spread over a period of weeks so that you can catch up a bit, at present I owe 22 letters wouldn’t it!
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined]
This week news is not very plentiful. The weather has not been too good, there has not been very much rain but mists have been bad which is just as bad if not worst [sic] than rain. A few mornings we have had very severe frosts & light snow storm.
I had a letter from Bill Cashman yesterday he is still in this country and looks as if he might be here for a while yet, he seems to be getting plenty of leave so I don’t suppose he will care when he is moved.
Last night I went to the Pictures to see “All the more the Merrier” it was a good show and I had a good laugh over it. Last night was the first time I have been out of camp for ages. Thursday night I was able to see the end of E.N.S.A. Concert, I was engaged for the best part of the night consequently did not see the beginning. The couple items that I saw at the end of the programme were excellent and I think I must have missed a real good concert.
The dances are still running, I am becoming quite a maniac on dances now, I go to more dances over here in a fortnight than I did in a month back home, still if you don’t go out it’s a case of sitting in the Mess trying to sink beers, an impossible task I assure you.
A couple of days ago we got an issue from the Australian Comforts Fund of a pair of socks, a heavy rolled necked Pull-over, a short sleeve jumper, & a couple of flannels, the last mentioned article was of no use to me so I left them for somebody else. at the moment I am still wearing my summer underwear I still can’t get use to long underwear which I have stacks of.
[page break]
[underlined] 4 [/underlined]
This morning when I got up for Mass at 7.45 it was pitch black, it seems funny going to Mass in the darkness. Quite a number attend Mass, no doubt there should be more, still that is their own look out.
There is no permanent chapel on the station, Mass is said on a make-shift alter in the Canteen.
I think I told you about our proposed Football match last week, well it did not come off. The weather was so bad that it kept the Lancasters on the ground consequently the players could not come. We finished up by playing a scratch match ourselves, the result being I am just getting over the effects of it now.
As I sit here writing this letter the rest of the crew are lounging around; the Engineer & the Rear Gunner are playing cards, some form of patience that they turn into a money making concern, its cost me a few bob so I have sworn off it for a while. The navigator is writing to some girl (I think) as he keeps asking how do you spell this – how do you spell that? “Pat the skipper” is reading the paper and at times breaks forth into the French language to tell us what he thinks of Hitler. Ralph the Bomb Aimer is snoring his head off on his bed, while Bruce the W. op is proably [sic] sinking pots in the Officers’ Mess if the truth was known.
This week I took a few snaps of the crew, I sent them into Beverley to be developed, they ought to be ready in about a weeks time; if they are any good I will send you a couple home.
Well Mum that seems to be the news at the moment so I will close down. How are you all at home? all in the best of health I hope. I would not be a bit surprised to learn Paddy had a couple of tapes up. Don’t worry over me! I am in the best of health & enjoying life to the utmost Your loving son brother Jim
AUS419441
Kodak House
Kingsway
London.
NOV 28th. 43
Letter No 20.
Dear Mum Paddy & Vincent
Over the pass [sic] couple of days mail has just been rolling in, I think I have received [deleted] [indecipherable word] [/deleted] at least a dozen letters, three being from you. Your letters are dated Aug 24th, Sept 27th & Oct 5th they are numbered 14 – 18 – 19. I am yet to receive 13 – 15 – 16 – 17 no doubt they will turn up sometime.
My other mail [deleted] is [/deleted] [inserted] was [/inserted] from Mary, Irene, Leo McGrath, John Donnigan, Dorothy Lambert, Paddy, a Miss Henry at Haughton’s (she’s about 40 so don’t get frightened), two girls from Robertson & Mullens, one from a young lady I met in New Plymouth N.Z, two from Mullumbimby and a very interesting Bullitin [sic] from Kathlyn. The Airmail from Mullum took 17 days to arrive, it cost 2/1 & came via [indecipherable word], so if you want to tell me something urgently the 2/1 Airmail is the thing, the 4d Airmail is useless. How is Airmail from here arriving home? let me know how long it takes.
Sorry to read in one of your letters that Mary Jones’ leg may be a bit shorter than the other, still as you say there may not be anything wrong at all, and if there is it can proably [sic] be soon rectified
You did not enclose Jim Brophy’s address, still I
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]
don't need it to write to him over here, as you already know no doubt he has spent a couple of days with Uncle Shamus at Bath just before I arrived
So you got the letters I posted in New York, there were all kinds of rumors [sic] going around about the posting of mail and the general belief was the censorship was so hard that letters would be lucky to get home. I don’t think you mention anything about receiving a letter I posted in Colon about Aug 1st it was only a one page letter, did you receive it? Sorry about the cushion covers I had completely forgotten them until you mentioned them in your letters I think they are in the bottom of my bag somewhere, I must have a look & send them on to you. (sometime)
Regarding E.A McDonald the cricketer, I am sure he was killed in a motor accident just before the War began, anyhow I will check up with the Boys when they come in. Up till date one parcel has arrived I sent you an airgrath [sic] about it so I won’t go into details over it in this letter. The Y.C.W. paper arrived safely also Clarion, they make very interesting reading, fancy being approached for an article for the Y.C.W. paper! why it might mean the start of a journalistic career (I don’t think) I will be glad to write a short (I repeat [underlined] short [/underlined]) note for the paper in the near future, at the moment I can’t even cope with mail. I feel rotten when I receive letter after letter from Mary & a couple of others and know that I haven’t written half the number to them that I should have, still I suppose you can’t do the impossible at the moment it’s a matter of scribbling off as many answers to letters as you can and hoping next mail is spread over a period of weeks so that you can catch up a bit, at present I owe 22 letters wouldn’t it!
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined]
This week news is not very plentiful. The weather has not been too good, there has not been very much rain but mists have been bad which is just as bad if not worst [sic] than rain. A few mornings we have had very severe frosts & light snow storm.
I had a letter from Bill Cashman yesterday he is still in this country and looks as if he might be here for a while yet, he seems to be getting plenty of leave so I don’t suppose he will care when he is moved.
Last night I went to the Pictures to see “All the more the Merrier” it was a good show and I had a good laugh over it. Last night was the first time I have been out of camp for ages. Thursday night I was able to see the end of E.N.S.A. Concert, I was engaged for the best part of the night consequently did not see the beginning. The couple items that I saw at the end of the programme were excellent and I think I must have missed a real good concert.
The dances are still running, I am becoming quite a maniac on dances now, I go to more dances over here in a fortnight than I did in a month back home, still if you don’t go out it’s a case of sitting in the Mess trying to sink beers, an impossible task I assure you.
A couple of days ago we got an issue from the Australian Comforts Fund of a pair of socks, a heavy rolled necked Pull-over, a short sleeve jumper, & a couple of flannels, the last mentioned article was of no use to me so I left them for somebody else. at the moment I am still wearing my summer underwear I still can’t get use to long underwear which I have stacks of.
[page break]
[underlined] 4 [/underlined]
This morning when I got up for Mass at 7.45 it was pitch black, it seems funny going to Mass in the darkness. Quite a number attend Mass, no doubt there should be more, still that is their own look out.
There is no permanent chapel on the station, Mass is said on a make-shift alter in the Canteen.
I think I told you about our proposed Football match last week, well it did not come off. The weather was so bad that it kept the Lancasters on the ground consequently the players could not come. We finished up by playing a scratch match ourselves, the result being I am just getting over the effects of it now.
As I sit here writing this letter the rest of the crew are lounging around; the Engineer & the Rear Gunner are playing cards, some form of patience that they turn into a money making concern, its cost me a few bob so I have sworn off it for a while. The navigator is writing to some girl (I think) as he keeps asking how do you spell this – how do you spell that? “Pat the skipper” is reading the paper and at times breaks forth into the French language to tell us what he thinks of Hitler. Ralph the Bomb Aimer is snoring his head off on his bed, while Bruce the W. op is proably [sic] sinking pots in the Officers’ Mess if the truth was known.
This week I took a few snaps of the crew, I sent them into Beverley to be developed, they ought to be ready in about a weeks time; if they are any good I will send you a couple home.
Well Mum that seems to be the news at the moment so I will close down. How are you all at home? all in the best of health I hope. I would not be a bit surprised to learn Paddy had a couple of tapes up. Don’t worry over me! I am in the best of health & enjoying life to the utmost Your loving son brother Jim
Collection
Citation
Jim Cahir, “Letter to Mrs Cahir from Jim Cahir,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 25, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/20042.
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